Ritual Jades of China
Bi (Pi)
The Bi, also spelled Pi and pronounced Bee, is the best known and probably the most significant of the ritual jade objects of ancient China. With roots in prehistory, the first Bi were probably stones which were flattened and carved by the natural flow of water. The first knowledge we have of carved Bi comes to us from findings of ancient Chinese cultures, notably the Hongshan Culture. This culture existed in the area of China in and around the autonomous region of Mongolia from 4,500 to 2,200 BC. From its humble beginnings as a simple disc [generally jade, though other materials were used] with a hole through its center, the form of the Bi was elaborated on in latter periods and carved into intricate forms, often with dragons or other animals. While many ancient jade carvings were created with a Chi hole or holes, in the case of the Bi this translates into the "Ear of Heaven", and offered a portal to Heaven and a means to communicate with the ancestors.
Cong [Ts'ung]
Of the ritual jades of China, the Cong is second only to the Bi. Whereas the round shape of the Bi represents Heaven, the Cong represents earth. In tombs the Cong was often placed upon the chest or abdomen, while the Bi rested under the back. The body thus rested between Heaven and Earth. Though shape and dimensions can vary greatly, the Cong is generally a cylinder flanked by four prisms. The four corners typify the Chinese elements of water, fire, wood and metal, while the Cong itself symbolizes the fifth element, earth. The Liangzhu Culture of the lower Yellow River region is credited with the first Congs, but recent findings of the Xinglongwa Culture of the Inner Mongolia region may have carved both Bi and Congs 8,700 years ago. The Cong latter developed into a high art in form if not in function, though artifact evidence indicates that Neolithic people used Congs in daily life to channel and recharge their Chi, the universal life force.
The Lesser Ritual Jades
During the Zhou Dynasty, 1100 - 220 BC, the use of jade was first regulated in LiJi, the Book of Rites. It was stipulated that six ritual jades should be made to offer sacrifice to heaven, to earth, east, south, west and north. The Bi and the Cong stand alone, while the other ritual jades represent the four directions and the four seasons. These are all flat objects which were placed in the tomb in the corresponding positions around the body: on the left, Kuei, Hu to the right, Huang above the head and Chang below the feet.
The Kuei was traditionally green jade, symbol of the East, Imperial Power and Spring. It is a knife life object which suggests its original model. They can be of nearly any size. Some are exceptionally ornate.
The Hu is a tiger's image, traditionally in white jade
and represents the West and Autumn. From a humble beginning as a crude naturalistic form, it evolved into an elaborate and more recognizable beast of fantasy.
The Huang is a semicircle, half the Bi. Traditionally in black jade, it represents the North and Winter. It is the creative female side of the duality of Yin & Yang. Its art formed evolved into a gentle arc, frequently shaped like a Hydra, the Dragon of the Waters.
The Chang, the lesser known of this group, is a tablet that represents half a Kuei. Traditionally made of red jade, it is a symbol of the South and Summer.